Tone-correcting means for brass wind instrument.



J. LOGKHART.

TONE GORREGTING MEANS FOR BRASS WIND INSTRUMENTS.

APPLIGATION I'ILBD MAR.24, 1908.

935,626. Patented Sept.'28,1 909.

wiinasses: a; 5 072M, ofwkm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN LOCKHART, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

TONE-CORRECTING MEANS FOR. BRASS WIND INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28, 1909.

Application filed. March 24, 1908. Serial No. 423,016.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN LOOKHART, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tone-Correcting Means for Brass lVind Instruments, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings as constituting a part thereof.

This invention relates in general to brass wind instruments, and has for its object to correct the faulty tones of certain notes of such instruments. Take for example the cornet, it is well known that certain of the low, as well as certain of the upper notes of this instrumentgenerally the low D and D flat, and the upper F, F sharp, G and A- are so sharp as to be very much out of harmony with the rest of the register of the instrument. Consequently, when the cornet is played with accompanying instruments, such lower and upper register notes will sound so very much out of tune as to be discordant, and if sustained notes may have to be omitted by the player. The evil may sometimes be remedied by controlling the notes referred to by an extra exertion of the lips; but when the lips have become fatigued the player is helpless. To remedy these defects, attachments have heretofore been provided for brass-instruments, but the same, in my judgment, are not practical; and so this invention has for its object to provide simple means, incorporated within the instrument, controlled by a spring so as to be normally set to an initial pitch, and which means are operable by a finger of the hand not used in playing the valves of the instrument, to so adjust the length of the air-tube as to make the discordant tone sound in perfect harmony with the accompanying instrument.

To illustrate my invention, I have applied the same to a cornet of the usual type.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows an elevation of a cornet embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal, vertical sectional detail, central-1y taken, of the means invented by me by which the faulty pitch of certain notes is corrected; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the device shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a transverse section, approximately on a line g y of Fig. 2, of the adjustable or sliding connecting tube-section, and the sleeve in which said tube-section is soldered; Fig.

5 is a section taken through the cap of the guide case on a line m-w of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is asimilar section to Fig. 5, showing, however, a certain modification of construction, fully described in the body of the specification; and Fig. 7 is a detail of construction.

The reference letters in the drawings designate the parts described.

All parts of the instrument not specifically described are understood to be of the common construction.

To apply my invention to a musical in strument of the type referred to, the main tubing is made of two disconnected sections a, Z), so curved at their inner ends a, b as to enable the arrangement thereof one above and parallel to the other, as shown in Fig. 2. On such alined ends a, b, is slidably mounted a connecting U tube-section a (see Fig. 2). The described tube-sections a, b are made of such relative lengths that when theconnecting tube-section 0 is moved inward to its initial point, which is for convenience called zero, the main tubing, as a whole, will be placed in the state of its shortest length, and the notes so produced will be played at their highest pitch; and consequently an outwardmovement of the tube-section 0 would relatively lengthen the main tubing, and cause a relative lowering of the tones played, while the main tubing remains in such lengthened state.

To so arrange the parts that the connecting tube-section 0 will easily slide on the tube-ends a, b, I have provided a guidecase (Z, consisting of a cylindrical body d, preferably made of two pieces of tubing inserted one within the other, to obtain greater rigidity. In such guide-case is slidably cont ained a sliding cylinder 6,, to the interior of which the connecting U tube-section 0 is rigidly soldered, as more readily seen in Figs. 2 and 4. The mouth ends ofthe connecting U tube-section c are connected by a bridge-piece f, in which are secured the lower ends of the rods 9, the upper ends of which rods are shouldered, as represented in Fig. 7, so as to be adapted to be rigidly connected with a cross-head h, having a stem 2' and finger-disk On the rods 9 are mounted coil-springs 70. As a matter of convenience, two rods 9 have been employed, but it is obvious that a single rod, arranged in other respects to operate as described, will answer. The cylindrical guide-case d is made with apertures in its walls to receive the curved tubing sections a, 7), and it is provided with screw-caps Z, m, at its ends to close such ends oil the case; and the cap at being also arranged. to allow the adjustment and disconnecting of the parts described by which the movement of the sliding connecting tube-section 0 is controlled. The part a is a cork or felt washer, interposed to prevent the cross-head 71. from striking against the head of the cap m, and the part 0 is a cork bushing. The bridge-piece f is made like the cross-piece 79. The latter is perforated near its ends and serves both as a guide for the lower ends of the rods g, g, and a rest for the lower ends of the coil-springs 7c, 70. i'iowever, the bar-like bridge-piece f may be replaced by a disk-like bridge-piece shown in Fig. (3, the same being a circular plate covering the entire inner end of the sliding sleeve 0, excepting the open ends of the sli'ding tube-section c, contained in said sliding sleeve 6. The modified construction just described o'l? said bridge-piece is designed to give greater rigidity to the parts.

My device may be conveniently operated by the index linger of the left hand being placed on the disk of the stem 2'; pressing on the disk y' to the degree required to bring the note played, and sounding too, into proper pitch. It will be noted that the described means for correcting the faulty pitch of a. note is not arranged upon any arbitrary basis, but may be operated to suit the individual note, and according to the ear of the player. It is also to be noted that the correcting means provided by me are equally serviceable for raising the pitch oi notes which sound. too flat. In this case the instrument as a whole could be so tuned to the accompanying instruments, that when the connecting tube-section 0 is moved inward, to lengthen the main tubing, all the notes not requiring special correction, by the aid or my device, will be played as usual; the sliding connecting tube-section 0 being held in its extended position by pressure of the linger on the disk And when those notes are to be played which would sound too flat without the aid of my correcting means, the finger is released the degree required so as to allow the coil-springs it to act and shorten the relative length of the connecting tube section 0, thus raising the pitch of the note then played.

The described details of construction with respect to the movable connecting tube-section 0 are designed merely to provide for the sliding movement thereof, unimpeded by a binding of the parts. I do not confine myself, however, to the exact details described in respect to the arrangement of the parts entering into the scheme of my invention, as self evidently such parts are subject to variation to meet the ideas of dili'erent constructing mechanics. Also, the location of the described tone correcting means must be in accordance with the particular model of the instrument to which it is applied, and so as to make the same convenient to operate by a linger ot' the hand not used in playing the valves.

I claim:

1. In a brass wind instrument, the combination of a main air tube constructed. in two pieces having bent open ends arranged parallel with each other, a U-shaped tube slidably mounted over and connecting said open ends, means carrying said U shaped slidably mounted tube, a casing for said U-shaped slidable tube and a cylinder slidably contained within said casing, said casing having openings through which the bends of the main air tube pass.

2. In a brass wind instrument, the combination of a main air tube constructed in two pieces having bent open ends arranged paral lel with each other, a U-shaped tube slidably mounted over and connecting said open ends, means carrying said slidable tube, a casing for said U-shaped slidable tube having open ings through which the bends of the main air tube pass, and a. spring-pressed stem connected with the carrier of said U-shaped tube for operation by the player.

3. In a brass wind instrument, a main air tube constructed of two parts with their main portions extending in opposite directions with their ends bent and having open ended parallel portions, of a U-shaped tube slidable over the said open ends, means slidably mounted and carrying said U-shaped tube, a casing within which said slidable means is guided, a cross bar connected with. said slidable means, a cross head, rods connecting the cross head and cross bar, a guide for said rods, springs interposed between the guide and cross head, and a stem connected with said cross head.

4i. In a brass wind instrument, a main air tube constructed of two parts with their main portions extending in opposite direc tions with their ends bent and having open ended parallel portions, of a U-shaped tube slidable over the said open ends, means slidably mounted and carrying said U-shaped tube, a casing within which said slidable means is guided, a cross bar connected with said slidable means, a cross head, rods con necting the cross head and cross bar, a guide for said rods, springs interposed between the guide and cross head, a stem connected with said cross head, and av cushion through which the stem slides and with which said cross head is adapted to engage.

In a. brass wind instrument, a main air tube constructed of two parts with their main portions extending in opposite directions with their ends bent and having open ended parallel portions, of a U-shaped tube slidable over the said open ends, means slidably mounted and carrying said U-shaped tube, a casing within which said slidable means is guided, a cross bar connected with said slidable means, a cross head, rods connecting the cross head and cross bar, a guide for said rods, springs interposed between the guide and cross head, a stem connected with said cross head, a cushion through which the stem slides and with which said cross head is adapted to engage, and caps 10 upon opposite ends of said casing, one of said caps having a hushed passage for the stem.

JOHN LOOKHART.

Witnesses:

S. S. HUMPHREY. CECIL LONG. 

